Cutter for bars of ice cream or the like



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CUTTER FOR BARS OF ICE CREAM 0R THE -LIKE' Filed June 23,1954 4 sheets-Sheet 1 1A- l ./J F

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E 'y 50 l 32" s| ZA m15 ,f` L L* 37 z f 4114? l/ l 470 T 36 y o INVENTOR l'afewcie Il. Yayi BY gnu/fuaw/MVm ATTORNEYS Jan. 7,` 1936. c. w. vom' CUTTER FOR BARS OF ICE CREAM 0R THE LIKE Filed" .June 2s, 1954 4 sheets-snm a l ATTORNEYS Jan. 7, 1936. C, w` VQGT 2,027,257

CUTTER FOR BARS OF ICE CREAM QR THE LIKEl Filed June 23, 1954 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 ATTORNEYS Jan. 7, 19.3.6. c. w. vos-r 2,027,257

CUTTER FORBARS 0F ICE CREAM OR TAHE LIKE A'rToRNEYs Filed June 2s, 1934 4 sneaks-sheet 4 r: .E. i

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` INvEm-o Clarence fy BY a: 7 MM Y Patented 7, 1193/6 on 'rHE LIKE Clarence W. Vogt, Louisville, Ky., assignor to Vogt Processes, Incorporated, Louisville, Ky., a coi-f poration of Delaware Application June 2s, 1934, serial No. '132,048v

4 claims. (o1. iov- 22) This invention rentes to apparatus for cutting bars or rodsinto shorter sections, and more particularly to'that typeof apparatus inwhich the bar is moved laterally past a pluralityof cutters in parallelplanes so as to cut it simultaneously into a plurality 'of sections of the desired and predetermined' length.

Although fthe? inventionfmay in different em-Q bodiments be employed for cutting bars of a wide variety of materials the embodiments hereinafter described are designed particularly for use with bars of a comestible or of a plastic or easily cut material, as distinguished from metal or other. hard material. Merely as an example, the apparatus may be employed-for cutting peripherally wrapped bars of ice cream, butter, margarin or the like, which bars may be made by the apparatus disclosed .in my prior Patents 2,006,375 and 2,006,376, issued July 2, 1935. The shorter sticks or lengths produced by the use of the apparatus embodying the present invention may be further cut up by the apparatus disclosed and claimed in application Serial No. 658,264, filed Feb. 23, 1933, and the ilnal resulting Vsections may be of the .character shown and claimed in the Vogt Patent 1,906,183,1ssued vApril 25, 1933, 1,950,643, issued Mar. 13, 1934er 2,001,477, issued May 14, 1935.

Obviously the .apparatus may be used for cutting up bars or other materials, made in other ways and later treated or used in other ways.

As one feature of the present invention the bars are fed .laterally by a-conveyer which may form a part of the hardening apparatus and they move. downwardlyA therefrom past the cutters 'onto another; conveyer for removing the sections endwise from .the hardening chamber.

As another feature the cutters are composed of narrow reciprocating saw yblades having comparativelyshortmovement so. that they have the l minimum 'amoimt of smearing action on a multilayer or multi-fiiavored bar of ,a comestible and work vtheir fway .through the bar with the minimum remove-lof material analogous to sawdust. As another feature the'saw blades are movable back and forthin a horizontal direction so that gravity 'aids-in v*feeding the bars through the'cutting mechanism.v l l i As a further feature the carrying members are arrangedin pairs closely juxtaposed .to each cutter upon opposite'sides thereof so as to effectively support the bar during* the cutting action.'

As a further' feature theA rotors carrying the bars have their pockets open at the outer ends so that the bars may `drop by gravity into the pocketsy when the latter are at the upper side,

and guards are provided for holding the bars in the pockets as they move downwardly past the cutters which are disposed below the axis of the rotors.

Asa further feature the bars are held in the It carrying members by endless flexible members of the nature of belts and which travel with the bars` so as to prevent any rubbing or friction on the bars which might tend 4to unwrap or loosen paper or other coverings on the bars. l0 Various other features of importance will be pointed out hereinafter or will be apparent from a consideration of the following description and the accompanying drawings.

In these drawings:

Fig. 1 is anend view-of an apparatus embodying the present invention, Fig. 2"is a front elevation of theI form shown in Fig. 1,

Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the same form, 20 Fig. 4 is a front elevation of another form, certain of the parts being shown in section,

Fig. 5 is a vertical Vsection on the line 5-5 of Fig. 4,

Fig. 6 is a cutters and the operating mechanism therefor, but on a'ivery much larger scale, and

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of a portion of one of the saws, but on a very much enlarged scale.

The construction in Figs. 1 to 3 inclusive is that 30 illustrated in Figs. 16 and 18 to-23' of compam ion application" Serial No. 678,624, led July 1, 1933. The bars are delivered 'to.the cutting mechanism by means of two or. more parallel chains I0 having rollers |`l on the pins conneot- 35 ing the links together sd thatthe chains may readily advance along a support l2. The chains carry a plurality of trough or channel shaped car# riers I3 each adapted to support a bar A- of the material to be cut. The conve'yershown is adapt- 40 ed for conducting the-bars through a hardening chamber maintained at a very lowtemperature so that the bars in passing throughy the chamber will become frozen or hardened to the desired extent. 45 To facilitate theradiation of heat from the bars each carrier is shown as provided with a `plurality o'f longitudinally extending fins or left of the partsshown in Fig. 1 so that the up- `per run of the conveyer emerges from the hardening chamber at the delivery end and the lower ,run returns through the hardening chamberto sectional view showing one of the 25 Y the point where thebars are delivered onto the conveyer one at a time`as the successive carriers I3. pass beneath the depositing mechanism. The chains pass over sprocket wheels I4 having the gaps between the teeth o'f such size and shape as to receive the rollers I I -of the chains.

As the conveyer passes around the sprocket wheels the carriers in succession reach a point -where the inclining or tilting of the carrier permits the bar to roll out. The sprocket wheels are mounted upon a transverse shaft I5 and parallel thereto is another shaft I6 driven in timed relationship with the shaft I5 by a chain I1 on sprocket wheels of the appropriate relative sizes. On the shaft I6- is mounted a plurality o'f pairs of transfer wheels I8 each having a series of notches, recess or pockets I9 in the periphery thereof. These pockets are spaced apart and the number of pockets around the periphery is such in respect to the sizes of the sprocket wheels for the chain I1 and the spacing of the carriers I3 on the endless conveyer that the rate of circumferential travel of the pockets is substantially the same as the rate of movement of the carries I3 through the hardening chamber.

Between the conveyer and the series o'f pairs of carrier wheels I8 there is provided an inclined support 28 so positioned that as the conveyer passes over the sprocket wheels I4 the bars A will roll or drop therefrom onto the-support 'I9 and will move down this support by gravity until they engage the peripheries of the carrier wheels I8. This inclined support 28 is so positio'ned on its upper end in respect to the carriers I3 that in case the bars A become frozen to the carriers in the hardening room the support will act to dislodge them from the carriers. 'I'he lower end of the support is so positioned that the bars cannot fall between the end of the support and the carrier wheels.

As the carrier wheels are rotated in a clockwise direction as shown in Fig. 1. the bars will move by gravity into the po'ckets when they reach a position opposite the lower end of the inclined support 20.

The two carrier wheels of each pair are spaced apart to leave therebetween only suiiicient clearance to accommodate 'the reciprocating saws 2|. The successive pairs of carrier wheels with interposed saws are spaced apart to a distance depending upon the length of the sections into which the bar is to be cut. Merely as an example the bars may be approximately14 feet long and there may be 9 of the saws for cutting the bars into sections approximately 20 inches cut from the end of the bar may be melted and returned to the freezer forreprocessing.

The saws 2I are mounted below the shaft I6.

' but at a sufficient distance above the lower sides of the wheels so that the wheels positively carry the bars past the saws and the saws cut all of y the way through each bar. To hold the bars in' the pockets of the wheels during the downward movement of the bars past the saws, there are provided inclined guards 22 disposed closely adbe and preferably is provided a plurality of sirnbe moved through a distance equal to the 75 ilar additional guards between adjacent pairs of wheels so as to support the bars at closely spaced points along the length thereof.

Directly below the shaft I6 is a U-shaped trough 23 into which the sections cut from the bars drop 5 after they have passed the saws and have also passed the lower ends of the guards or guides 22.

A suitable delivery conveyer is provided for carrying away the sections as they fall into the trough. 'I'his conveyer may be in the form of a belt 24 passlo ing around a pair of pulleys 25, the belt being of approximately the sam'e Width as the trough 23, and the upper run of the belt being Within and extending lengthwise of said trough. The bottom of the trough may be omitted and the belt 15 itself form the bottom wall of the trough in which case the side walls of the trough serve merely as guides to insure the sections falling onto the belt and as means for preventing the bars from rolling oi during the movement of the belt. The 2o lower or return run of the belt is below the trough and may be provided with any suitable form of belt tightener to keep the belt taut. VAs shown the belt passes over a pair of idlers 26 and a third idler 21 rests upon the belt between the two 25 idlers 26. This idler 21 may be carried by a pair of pivoted links 28 and a weight 29 may be suspended from the links below the idler 21. The weight may be made up of a plurality of sections so that the required number of sections may be 30 employed to give the belt the required tautness.

V 'I'he saws are each carried betweenopposite upstanding arms 38 of a U-shaped frame, the lower member 3`I of which is beneath the belt 24. Each saw carrying frame is supported and guided 35 so as to permit it to move back and forth in a horizontal direction parallel to the length of the saw. The brackets which support the trough 23 may have rollers 32 constituting such saw frame supportingand guiding means.

In the construction shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, the means for reciprocating the saws is such that while each alternate saw is moving in `one direction the remaining saws will be moving in the opposite direction, thus counterbalancing the 45 lateral thrust on the bar resulting from the action of the saws. The saw reciprocating means includes a pair of shafts 33, 34 spaced apart in the same vertical plane and mounted for simultaneous oscillation. The upper-shaft 34 has 50 depending ,arms 35 connected to extensions 36 on each alternate saw frame, and the lower shaft 33 has similar upwardly extending arms 31 pivotally connected to the remaining saw frames. The pivotal connections for both the depending 55 arms 35 and the upwardly extending arms 31 are in the same plane, and means are provided i'or oscillating the rock shafts simultaneously in the same direction so that the arms will be moved simultaneously in opposite directions. This os- 60 cillating means includes a shaft 38 having a pair of cranks 39 connected by crank arms 48 and 4I to outwardly extending arms 42 and 43 on the two rock shafts.

The shaft 38 may be driven at comparatively 65 high speed by a motor 44 so that the saws are operated at comparatively high speed. Due to the short length of the arms 35 and 31 and the `removedfrom beneath the saws before tions of the next bar are dropped on. Thus all of the sections will be delivered endwise and in succession and as a comparatively continuousrow. of sections. Obviously the belt 2l may be run 'at very much, lower speed if desired and operate only suiilcientlyA fast to keep the bar sections from piling up in the trough.

`The cutting mechanism is preferably mounted within the refrigerating chamber and the belt 2l may either extend out of the chamber 'or deliver to another yconveyor which takes the product fromthe chamber. The belt 24 and the conveyor to which it delivers may be spaced a 'short distance apart so that the short sections trimmed from the ends of the .long bar may drop between the conveyors, whereas the main lengths v cut between the cutters bridge across the gap and are delivered for packing, further subdivision or storage.

The construction shown in Figs. 4, 5 and 6 is designed to effect economizing of space in the hardening room and a simplification and im- .provement ofmany of the details. This appa-- ratus may be used in connection with the hardening mechanism shown in application Serial No.l 723,454, 'filed May 2, 1934, and may be mounted directly in the frame of the apparatus shown in said application. The conveyor ila for delivering the bars tol be cut passes over a sprocket wheel Ila and includes links somewhat longer than those shown in Fig. 1 and each having a duplex carrier element Ita for' supporting two' of the bars A.

The carrier wheels Ila are mounted almost directly beneath the sprocket wheels Ila so as to economize in space and permit the bars A to drop directlylfrom the conveyor onto the carrier wheels Ita. Thus the inclined support Il is omitted and in place thereof there is provided a plurality of curved guards 50 for holding `the bars in place on the conveyor untilthey reach a point below the shaft I5.

The carrier wheels are mounted for rotation in a counterclockwise direction, and the shaft It oi' the carrier wheelsis mounted in brackets il extending laterally from an upstanding frame member 52. 'I'he upper end of this frame member l# or fingers II on the main frame may terminate closely adjacent to the path of movement of the conveyor Ila so as to insure dislodging of the bars therefrom, and permit them to drop onto the carrier wheels.

For holding the bars A in place while passing around' the sprocket wheels Ma and being carried by the carrierfwheels Ila there is provided a series of belts so mounted that they substantially follow portions of said wheels. As shown there are provided idler pulleys 61, Gland, the pulleys 61 being above the sprocket wheels. the pulleys ll being partly between the sprocket wheels and the carrier wheels, and the pulleys i no liabilitybf the wrappers on the bars /being -be any desired number of these loosened or displaced during transit. There may belts along' the length of the bars. l. i Beneath the carrier wheels Ita is a trough aintowhich the sections fall, and within this 5 trou'ghis aconveyor belt 24a. The outer side wall of the trough may carry guides beyond the belts for holding the bars A in place past the saws and then letting the sections drop into the trough.

The saws 2 I a'are mounted beneath the shaft I 0 and preferably at an vangle to the horizontal.

One end of the saw is connected to a plunger 53 in a casing. supported by the frame members l2A and is continuously pulled in one direction by 15 a spring il. l The plunger 53 may be square or of any desired non-circular cross-section to prevent rotation or oscillation and to hold the saw in a definite plane. Although the saws may be of any desired shape they are preferably very thin and comparatively narrow.

In Fig. 7 there is shown la perspective view of a portion of a saw on a greatly enlarged scale.

The rear or body portion b of the saw is thinner than the portion c adjacent to the edge so as to reduce friction and to reduce the liability of the cut portions welding together in the rear of the saws. The saws may have any desired shape of teeth. l

In practice the total width of the saw need not be over one-third of an inch and the maximum thickness not over .02 inch.

The opposite lend of the saw is mounted in a reciprocating head IC which is intermittently pulled in one direction while returned and kept taut by the spring. Thesaws are driven by a motor a driving a shaft l1 through gearing 58. The shaft extends parallel to and outside ofthe trough Ila and drives a series of' saw actuating counter shafts l by gearing 1|, 12, each shaft 40 Il being mounted in a bracket on a frame member I I Each shaft il has an eccentric 13 mounted on a block 1I slidable laterally in a frame 'Ii connected tof the saw headv 56. The frame 15 is mounted to reciprocate in a guide 16 and par- 45 allelto the direction of movement of the saw. This connection between each shaft 59 and its saw 21a is thus of the Scotch-yoke type. Any other suitable form of driving connection may be used which will and preferably does guide the saws.

By means of the constructionsillustrated the long bars' are removed from the hardening conveyer at the end of the run of the latter, transferredto a plurality vofcarrier wheels, supported by s'aid wheels while moved past the saws, and the sections arel deposited on a conveyer `which carries away the sections in an endwise direction so that they may move out of the low temperature chamber through an opening of the minimum o0 size and with the least loss of refrigeration from the chamber.

VHaving thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and is desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. An apparatus for cutting bars into sections, including a pair of wheels having parallel vertically spaced'axes and operating in succession to advance the bars. and a flexible belt having a portion substantially following the peripheries of the two wheels in succession for preventing disengagement .of the bars during their advancing movement by the wheels.

2. A n lapparatus for subdividing bars of frozen ice cream into sections, including a pair of rotary lationship, the lower of said members having a series of lpockets in the peripheries thereof, and the upper of said members having means for delivering successive bars and dropping them from the lower portion of the upper member to the upper portion of the lower member, means for rotating said members in timed relationship and in the same direction, an endless .belt following portions of the peripheries of both of said members to retain said bars in positionl in respect to said members during downward movement with said members, and means for cutting the bars into sections while being carried downwardly by the lower of said members.

3. An apparatus for cutting ice cream bars into sections, including an endless conveyer having a series of ights for delivering successive bars, a rotary member around which said conveyer passes, a series oftransfer wheels disposed beneath said rotary member and each having a series of pockets in the periphery thereof, an endless belt having a portion-oi'y one run substantially following the contour of said rotary member to hold said bars in position on said conveyer during downward movement of the bars around said member and having another portion of said runsubstantially following the contour of said transfer wheels to hold the bars in position in said pockets during 2,027,236?"4 members having parallel axes in superposed retheir downward movement with said wheels, a plurality of saws beneath the axis of said transfer wheels and above the' lower peripheries of said wheels for subdividing said bars into sections while retained in said pockets, and a conveyer beneath 5 said transfer wheels and movable in a direction parallel to the axis of the latter for delivering the successive sections endwise.

4. An apparatus for cutting ice cream bars into sections, including an endless conveyer having a series of flights for delivering successive bars, a rotary member around which said conveyer passes,

a transfer wheel disposed beneath said. rotary member and having a series of pockets in the periphery thereof, an endless belt having a portion of one run substantially following the contour of said rotary member to hold said bars in position on said conveyer during downward movement of the bars around said member and having another portion of said run substantially following the contour of said transfer wheel to hold the bars in position in said pockets during their downward movement with said wheel, and a saw beneath the axis of said transfer wheel and above the lower periphery .of said wheel for subdividing said bars into sections while retained in said pockets.

CLARENCE W. VOGT. 

